Court orders compensation for Hindus attacked in Bangladesh

Dhaka: A Bangladeshi court today ordered the government to pay over Taka 4.34 million as compensation to Hindu families who were attacked for an alleged blasphemous post on a popular social networking site.

Unidentified persons vandalised 29 homes, 10 shops and seven temples at Bonogram Bazar in Pabna district in November last year following allegations that a boy from the Hindu minority made a blasphemous post about the Prophet Mohammed on a Facebook page, said Deputy Attorney General Biswajit Roy.

Reuters

The government was asked by a High Court bench of Justices Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and A B M Altaf Hossain to pay the compensation within three weeks.

The bench further directed police to arrest those responsible for the attacks. The government will have to pay Taka 4.34 million (USD 1 = Taka 78) as compensation as assessed by an investigation committee, Roy was quoted as saying by mass circulation The Daily Star newspaper.

Following an earlier directive from the court in November, authorities formed a probe body to assess the damage caused by the attacks.

The committee concluded that property worth Tk 4.34 million was damaged in the attacks, Roy said.

The assessment report was submitted to the court last week. After examining the report, the court passed the order today, he said.